Lemon Dill Baked Salmon
- PREP 5min
- COOK 25min
- TOTAL 30min
I love this lemon dill salmon recipe! The trick to perfectly baked salmon is gently baking it in a bit of liquid, like wine, stock, or water. Cover the dish and bake until just cooked through. You can call this recipe oven poached salmon. It’s practically foolproof. If your salmon is thick, expect the cooking time to be a few minutes longer than what we share below.
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds salmon fillets, 1-inch thick, preferably wild-caught
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into slices
4 sprigs of fresh dill, plus more for serving
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C). Set aside a baking dish large enough to fit the salmon fillets in one layer.
Lightly oil and season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. (Optionally, cut the salmon into four 6-ounce fillets.)
Arrange lemon slices and dill on the bottom of the baking dish, then place the salmon skin-side down on top.
Add wine to the baking dish, and then cover with aluminum foil.
Bake the salmon until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets. Check the salmon after 10 minutes to see its progress. The best way to prevent overcooking is to check the temperature of the salmon using an internal thermometer. The thickest part of the salmon should read 125°F.
Take the salmon out of the oven, untuck the foil to cover the dish loosely, and set aside on the counter for 5 minutes. The salmon will continue to cook during this time.
Serve scattered with chopped fresh dill on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Dried dill: Use 1 tablespoon dried dill. Add half of the lemon slices at the bottom of the dish, and sprinkle the rest over the top of the salmon.
- Wine: Use a light, dry wine like sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or unoaked chardonnay. Or substitute water.
- White stuff on cooked salmon: The white stuff around cooked salmon is called albumin. It’s perfectly fine to eat, but since it isn’t the prettiest thing to look at, I quickly scrape it away and spoon a bit of the cooking liquid from the bottom of the dish on top.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.